The Reunion
by kats96
Summary: WordGirl returns to Planet Lexicon and discovers her real family.  Now she has to decide whether to live with them or to return to the life she left behind on Earth.
1. Chapter 1

Something was not right. I woke early that morning feeling weak. My muscles were stiff and my head was in a haze. I sat up in bed, straining to hear the heavy breathing of my sleeping family. I couldn't hear anything. I didn't have any super-hearing.

Throwing off the covers, I stood up and tried to speed myself up. My body seemed to slow down. I tried to fly, but my body wouldn't lift off the floor. I crawled underneath my bed and braced my hands under it, pushing upward. It didn't budge. I didn't have super-strength either.

My powers were gone.

I knew I shouldn't panic, but I did. Without my superpowers, I was nothing. A regular girl who could do nothing to save the city from criminals. I felt my body shake as nerves sent jolts of dread through my veins.

I woke Captain Huggyface, who squeaked with protest. I explained in a shaky whisper my problem.

"We're going to the spaceship," I told him. "Maybe we have a book explaining how to get superpowers back."

Sure enough, my Superhero Encyclopedia had a section about getting powers back. "It says here that the only way to get my superpowers back is to return to Lexicon for a few days to relax, then come back to Earth. I'll be completely refreshed."

Huggy squealed, confused. "I don't really know how it works, but it says here that's what I have to do," I said. "But if we go to Lexicon, we'll need an excuse to give Mom and Dad."

Huggy chattered. "Oh, good idea!" I exclaimed, "A school trip. That'll be perfect."

I quickly wrote a note for my parents and gave it to Huggy. "Take this and leave it on the kitchen table. I need to prepare the spaceship for our trip."

Once Huggy had left, I murmured the thought I had held back. "As long as it works." The ship hadn't flown since we crashed, which was about 10 years ago. I had been meaning to get it into working condition, but somehow I had never found time. I can't imagine why. After all, I only spent my time battling robots, destroying cheese rays, and fighting off meat attacks.

I turned to the task at hand, wondering where to begin. If I couldn't get the ship to work, I wouldn't be able to get my powers back. My fate was up to the spaceship.

No pressure.


	2. Chapter 2

Huggy returned just as I was finishing prepping the ship. I crossed my fingers and held my breath as he started the engine. The spaceship sputtered to life.

Thank goodness.

I tried to relax during the trip to Lexicon, but my nerves were on edge. I kept worrying that the ship wouldn't make it and we'd be stranded in space. The stars would swallow us and nobody would even know what had happened. We'd just be another piece of debris floating for eternity. Nothing would stop us, and no one could save us.

I definitely wasn't myself. Since when did I teeter on the edge of insanity? I was practically having a panic attack. Something was very wrong with me. I needed to get to Lexicon. Soon.

I paced back and forth, stopping to stare out the window or pester Huggy. Anything to focus my energy on something besides the knot in my stomach that was slowly twisting itself into an untangleable ball. Untangleable? Was that even a word? Oh, no. I was losing my vocabulary. This was not good. Not good at all.

"Can't we go any faster?" I asked. Huggy glared at me, his answer clearly no.

I sighed. "Sorry. I'm just scared. If I can't be a superhero anymore, what will become of me? I'll have no purpose on life." I grabbed Huggy's shoulders and shook him. "I have to get my powers back or I'll die."

Shaking Huggy's shoulders was a bad idea. He had taken his hands… paws… off the wheel and couldn't see where he was going. The spaceship began to spin out of control.

Huggy shrieked urgently, snapping me back to my senses. I let go of him, my hands flying to my mouth in an expression of horror and fright. I felt my stomach lurch with the erratic circles the ship made. Huggy wrestled to gain control again, grunting with the effort.

My world was spiraling upside down. I felt my loose grip on reality slip away. The stars from outside the window made their way into my head, blinding my vision. I fought to stay conscious, knowing I may never wake.

I lost the fight, letting myself fall into a bottomless abyss.


	3. Chapter 3

Whispered voices. A bright light above my head. Soft shuffling and rustling. Steady beeping. A gentle touch against my face, caressing my stinging skin.

I opened my eyes. I was in a pale blue-green room, the color of lichen growing in the forest. Cream colored sheets covered the bed I laid on, soft and warm beneath my bruised body. Numerous bones were broken and bandaged, and I could taste my most recent batch of medication (painkillers, no doubt) on my tongue.

Two blurry faces hovered near my side, lines creasing with a mixture of worry and relief.

"She's awake." A female voice, clipped but warm and caring. Belonging to one of the faces that began to come into focus.

"Nurse!" A different voice, belonging, belonging to a man. The second face. But where was Huggy? I wanted to ask, but my head was still spinning from the effort of waking.

I struggled, trying to sit up, but the woman gently pushed me back down. Good thing, too. A wave of nausea washed over me, so I willingly complied.

"Juts rest, honey. You took quite a beating in that crash. It's a good thing my husband found you when he did," she said. She smiled apologetically. "Pardon me for not introducing myself. My name is Sarah, and this is my husband, Tom."

Tom. Sarah. Those names sounded familiar, like they meant something, but what?

I opened my mouth to speak, but I didn't know what to say. What would I call myself? Becky? WordGirl? So I said nothing.

"You know, you look just like our daughter," Sarah continued. "Lexi. She'd be close to 11 years old now. If she hadn't gone missing. It's hard to believe she's been gone for 10 years. A whole decade." She sighed wistfully, eyes cloudy with tear that threatened to fall.

Lexi. That name seemed significant somehow. Like it belonged to me…

Something clicked into place in my brain like a puzzle piece fitting into the surrounding pieces. _No. It couldn't be,_ I thought. _The chances are slim to none._ Yet I knew in my heart it was true.

I gripped Sarah's hand, trying to find the strength to say something I never thought I would say.

"Mom. Dad. I'm home."


	4. Chapter 4

Tom and Sarah gaped at me, silently studying me. I could tell they were wondering if it was possible that I was their long-lost daughter. After all, she… I… disappeared as a baby; they wouldn't know how she had aged.

Sarah glanced at her husband. "Can it really be her? Can she really be our little Lexi?"

Tom stared at me with wide, dark brown eyes, probing me. "The bone structure is similar to yours… remember how Lexi looked just like you when she was born?" he said to his wife.

Then he sat down on my bed and looked me straight in the eye. "What is your story?" he whispered, almost reverentially.

So I told them. I told them how I had crawled into Captain Huggyface's ship and fallen asleep. How I startled him when I awoke, causing him to lose control. How we crash-landed on Earth and were adopted by Tim and Sally Botsford. How I discovered my powers and how I used them to help save the city time after time. And the most recent developments; how my powers were gone and I needed to come back to Lexicon in order to get them back.

When I finished, they looked awestruck. Then the tears started. Happy tears that streamed down Sarah's face, dripped along Tom's, and crept down mine as we embraced, a family reunited against all odds.

A reunion.

As I felt the strong hold of my parents, my birth parents, I realized that my life would never be the same again. I couldn't help but think of my parents back home on Earth. They had no idea what was truly happening; they thought I was on a harmless field trip with my class.

A thought struck me, and I pulled away from my parents. What about my Earth family? Mom, Dad, TJ… Would I ever see them again? As my true parents, Tom and Sarah were technically in control of my life and could make me stay on Lexicon. But that wouldn't be so bad… Would it?

But did I belong there? Perhaps my life was a matter determined by fate, and I was supposed to stay on Earth. Maybe that's why we crashed in the first place. Besides, the city needed me to fight criminals and help clear up vocabulary confusion. Or maybe it was fate that crashed us on Lexicon so that I could settle down and live a normal life.

A normal life. I didn't even know what that felt like, but I'd be more than happy to have one.

Or would I? Maybe I thrived on the constant action of fighting crime and keeping my identity secret.

How could I know for sure? And when the time came to make a decision, what path should I take? How would I live with myself if I chose the wrong way?

Which set of parents would I live with, and how could I bring myself to face the other set and break the bad news?

Two lives to choose from, but only one I could live. One life to leave behind, one life to embrace.

How would I make up my mind?


	5. Chapter 5

Tom noticed the expression on my face as I realized what I was leaving behind. "Lexi, honey, is everything alright?"

I tried to nod, but my head just drooped slightly. "It's just…" I looked for the words to describe what I was feeling, but none seemed right. After all, how do you tell your parents that you aren't sure you want to stay with them?

"She's just overwhelmed," Sarah answered for me, clutching my hand in hers. "What with the crash and finding us…"

"Huggy," I blurted out. "What happened to Huggy?"

Sarah gave me a look filled with repulse. "You mean that horrible rodent?"

"He's a monkey, not a rodent," I exclaimed, slightly annoyed. "And he's my best friend. I have the right to know what happened to him."

Sarah sighed. "He's fine. We sent him to a veterinary office to get his wounds dressed. But that creature is not going to live in my house; we'll have to work out another arrangement."

I squeezed my eyes shut to cut off the angry tears that threatened to fall. How dare she! My own mother taking away my best friend. I bit my tongue to keep from yelling the awful thoughts that now filled my head.

A stray tear must have slipped out because Tom wiped it from my face. "If you need to talk about what you're feeling, let us know," he told me gently. "We're here for you. You can open up to us."

Everything spilled out, including the tears. Anger, frustration, compassion. I barely understood what I was saying, but it felt good to get it out, no matter what they might think.

"I don't think I belong here. I've lived on Earth for most of my life and I felt accepted there. If I leave, I may never see my parents again. Or my brother, TJ. Or my friends, Violet and Scoops. And I'll miss being WordGirl and keeping the city safe. I'll even miss the villains; we kind of developed love-hate relationships over the years. I just can't imagine leaving my home."

Sarah forced a smile. "But, Lexi, _this _is your home. Here on Lexicon. With us." She turned to Tom for support.

"Sarah, this is a big change for her. She's just reviewing her options."

"Options!" Sarah spluttered. "She has no options! She is going to live with us. Her real parents. End of story."

"We can't force her to do anything she doesn't want to do," countered Tom. "I have faith in her that when the time comes, she will make the right decision."

"But…" Sarah started, but Tom cut her off with a glare.

"Lexi," he said. Then he stopped, choosing his words carefully. "Are you… comfortable with that name?"

I shrugged, trying to seem indifferent. "I'm not sure. I'm so used to responding to Becky that…" I swallowed hard, forcing the growing lump in my throat down.

"Then Becky it is," Tom proclaimed.

Sarah was furious. "Tom! That is not her name!"

I hated that they argued over me. It made me feel guilty for wanting to return to Earth. But I was glad Tom stood up for me.

"Sarah, she's adjusting. If she wants to be called Becky, I am going to respect her wishes."

He turned back to me. "Becky, we'll leave you now to get some rest. And to think things over." He pulled Sarah to the door. She stalked into the hallway.

Tom shut the door behind her. "Becky, I just want you to know that you have no obligation to stay with us. You are free to go back to Earth if that is what you want. Sarah and I will always love you, no matter what." He gave a small smile and opened the door.

"Get some sleep," he whispered as he left.

Easier said than done.


	6. Chapter 6

I knew what I had to do. But the question was, did I dare do it? My future, the futures of my parents, even the futures of everyone back home depended on my decision. No pressure.

When Tom and Sarah… my parents… came to visit me the nest day, I greeted them with a nod and a wish to speak with them.

"Mom and Dad," I started, the words I used to address a different set of faces, seeming strange and out-of-place. "I have something I need to tell you."

I motioned for them to sit while I stood, pacing in front of them.

"What I am about to tell you may come as a shock to you, but I know you will eventually see things my way. I am going to return to Earth and continue my life there."

I watched Sarah's mouth drop in horror. "Lexi, you can't! After all these years, years we grieved for you, thinking you dead, never expecting to see you again… You don't know how hard it has been." A sob escaped her lips, and Tom wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She threw it off, rage filling her eyes with fury.

"Alexis Marie Conn, you are staying with us, and that is final. Do you understand?"

_Full name. She must really be enraged_, I thought.

Then Sarah's fury turned to desperation. "Tom, she must be suffering from brain damage. Get a doctor. She isn't acting like our little Lexi."

"Sarah, remember that discussion we had last night? Lexi… Becky is old enough to make her own decisions, and if this is what she wants, we shouldn't stand in her way. Right?"

Sarah leaped to her feet. "You put her up to this! You don't want her to stay here! It's a conspiracy against me, your own wife!"

"I was hoping it wouldn't come to this," muttered Tom, "but you leave me no choice." He pulled a bottle of pills from his pocket, popped off the lid, and shook out two white ovals into the palm of his hand. He forced them into his wife's mouth and held her nose until she had to swallow to draw breath. Within minutes, she was asleep on the bed.

"Tranquilizers," Tom explained guiltily. "I knew he wouldn't take the news well."

"But how did you know what I was going to decide?" I asked.

Tom smiled. "I knew you couldn't leave your old life. It's what you know and love. And there is nothing wrong with that. Sarah and I can choose to live a different life now that we won't be crippled with grief."

"Are you sure? I don't want to hurt you or Sarah."

"We've been hurt before, and we healed. This will open a new wound, but it will close the one that has been bleeding since you disappeared. We know you are alive, and perhaps you can visit us now and again."

"I'd love that," I said.

"Your spaceship is ready to go, and the monkey…"

"Captain Huggyface," I supplied.

"Right. Captain Huggyface is waiting for you there." Tom embraced me, stroking my hair. "We'll miss you."

I felt a few tears slide down my cheeks. "I'll miss you, too," I said, my voice cracking. "Mom won't even get to say goodbye."

"It's just as well," Tom said. "She isn't good with goodbyes. But I'll tell her for you."

Tom walked me to my spaceship, hugging me once more and kissing my cheek. "I love you," he whispered.

I smiled through my tears. "I love you, too. Both of you. For everything."

Tom released me and pushed me toward the ship. "You'd better go. I'm sure your family is worried about you."

I nodded, wiping away my tears. "Alright. Goodbye, Dad."

"Goodbye, daughter."

I waved as I ascended the stairs into the ship. Huggy started the engine, and we zoomed away. I gazed out the window as the man who was my father and the planet that was my home drifted away like the life I was leaving behind.

When I could no longer see Lexicon, I turned away from the window and looked ahead at the life I was going to return to, the memories of my time on Lexicon already beginning to fade.

Had I made the right decision?

I thought of Earth, the family I had there, the friends I had made, the life I was choosing for myself. I smiled. Yes, I had made the right decision.


End file.
